As a refresher, in the preseason I set five groups of statistical goals for the Seahawks. I used research of CAA teams from the past who finished with a winning record and focused on areas where the program has suffered in the last six seasons, five of which ended with a losing record.

1. Defensive Efficiency

Goals: (1) Meet or better national average for the season. (2) Hold CAA opponents under 1.00 points per possession.

Update: This goal and the next one are the most important, which is why they top the list. Mid-major basketball teams cannot overcome poor defense and turnovers. It’s that simple. The bad news is UNCW coach Buzz Peterson emphasized the defensive end of the court this season. The worse news for you, the fan of this program, is that not only have the Seahawks failed to improve on the defensive end – they’ve gotten worse as the season progressed. UNCW now has an adjusted defensive efficiency of 106.2 (up from 104.3 at the midpoint) and is allowing 1.06 points per possession in CAA games (1.05 at midpoint). But, when the defense played by Peterson’s recent teams is examined, the results aren’t surprising. (Adjusted defensive efficiency factors in the strength of an opponent in calculating how many points a defense allows per 100 possessions). As an aside, the Seahawks have also sunk in adjusted offensive efficiency rankings in each of Peterson’s three seasons (207-230-275).

Update: (1) No and (2) No. UNCW has a -3.04 turnover margin in all games and a -3.65 turnover margin in CAA play. The Seahawks have lost the ball on 23.2 percent of their possessions this season, which puts them 309th in the nation (out of 345 teams). For those who prefer traditional stats, UNCW has committed 15.5 per game, which is 296th in the nation. Can’t win from there.

Update: In all games, Keith Rendleman is the lone Seahawk scoring in double figures (15.6 points per game), although Chris Dixon is close (9.4 ppg). Rendleman (19.1) and Williams (10.4) both average in double figures efficiency for the season, and in CAA play Chris Dixon is at 10.1. Of course, if you’ve followed this team this season you don’t need statistics to tell you that the Seahawks have been a wildly inconsistent bunch.

Update: Because, in part, teams opt to foul 59.4 percent career free throw shooter Keith Rendleman rather than give him easy baskets, the Seahawks have reached the line more frequently than in past seasons. The driving ability and knack for drawing contact shown by guard Craig Ponder (42.4 free throw rate) is also a contributing factor to this improvement. The Seahawks have scored 21.6 percent of their points at the line, and that number would be even higher if they converted at a better clip (66.5 percent on free throws for season, 68.5 percent in CAA).

5. Defensive Rebounding Percentage

Goals: (1) Top five in CAA (2) Top 125 in nation

Update: This area has gone from a strength to a weakness for the Seahawks in the last seven games. During our halfway point update, UNCW led the CAA in defensive rebounding percentage in conference games, grabbing 74.1 percent of those rebounds. Now, the Seahawks are just corralling 66.3 percent, punished on the defensive glass recently by Delaware, Towson and Hofstra – all teams with tough, physical, athletic frontcourts. UNCW has also dipped to 252nd in the nation in defensive rebounding.

A team that has a negative turnover margin and also fails to protect the defensive glass is certain to be a consistent loser, unless it is a phenomenal shooting team.

@ Brian Mull. Just like I said, Not only do these kids who control the ball dribble too much, they are just fundamentally not sound. Either the Coach is not able to communicate the system or the majority of this group do not know how to comprehend and execute. I believe it is a mixture of both. I see too much playground ball still being played,,,I take that back, attempted to be played under the guise of a D1 basketball team. There are about 4 kids who understand how the game should be played to be successful at this level. The rest, not a clue.

@Brian,
Thes stats are quite valuable,but as I watch it seems our opponents have the “greater will to win”. That is what bothers fans,it ok to lose but Hawks seem to “casual” in approach from the tip-off.
Do you see this aw well?
You are right at the table.

As I said in a prior posting about the last game the usncoveted ” Mossian Award” goes to Buzz Peterson. Let’s give the boy his “Benny” and move him on down the line. After watching every home game and some on tv, I can’t call him “coach” anymore.
We do have some kids who can play at this level in the CAA but they are young and must be given direction and instruction and an identity. These kids have recieved none. All I hear from the post game interviews are excuses and flustration from Buzz. He shows no leadership, no fire in the belly, no idea how to fix the problem. I know how to fix the problem…..good luck in your next job Buzz.

About This Blog

Hey there, I’m StarNews staff writer Eric Detweiler, and I handle the UNCW beat. I’m a Pennyslvania native who went to the University of Maryland and came to Wilmington in August 2013 after stops in Denver and Washington, D.C. Feel free to reach out with questions or comments about our coverage of the Seahawks. Thanks for reading.